Jimmy Elder recalls time about USS Augusta during D-Day

Seventy-one years ago today, the United States was turned upside down when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. News of the bombings quickly spread throughout the world and when the news reached southern Illinois, there was no hesitation as to what needed to be done. Area boys immediately jumped in line to sign up for the servic...

Seventy-one years ago today, the United States was turned upside down when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. News of the bombings quickly spread throughout the world and when the news reached southern Illinois, there was no hesitation as to what needed to be done. Area boys immediately jumped in line to sign up for the service, even those not quite yet old enough to do so. That was the case with Jimmy Elder, who proudly stood shoulder to shoulder with his friends ready to enlist.

"I remember exactly where I was when we heard about the bombing at Pearl Harbor," said Elder, who grew up in McLeansboro. "It was a Sunday. By Monday, the news was everywhere and the local paper even put out an extra edition. They didn't have to shake anybody to get them to join. They lined up to go. Pearl Harbor woke everybody up, and we were glad to go."

Elder was drafted into the U.S. Navy but got a deferment until he finished high school. On June 3, 1943, he left for boot camp near Chicago, the furthest he had ever been away from southern Illinois. Despite a few trips to St. Louis to see the Cardinals play, Elder had never ventured far from McLeansboro, so the trip in itself was a little overwhelming. And, that was just the start.

Elder had short stints on smaller ships such as a Destroyer Escort, but he eventually was assigned to the USS Augusta, a heavy cruiser headed to the war.

Elder spent two full years on the Augusta and had numerous experiences. The ship first headed to England and because their location was secret, not even the post office knew their location. They continued inching closer to the front line and were surprised to get an unexpected visitor while sailing through the English Channel.

"King George VI came on board for an inspection," said Elder. "For some reason, I had a new uniform and it stood out. I used a toothbrush to maintain the stripes on the uniform. While walking by us, King George VI stopped and complimented me on my appearance. I was eyeball to eyeball with him."

In June 1944, the USS Augusta headed for the beaches of Normandy. They dropped anchor about 3,000 yards off the enemy shore and waited for the command.

The USS Augusta was part of the D-Day invasion on Normandy France. Elder recalls three days of constant fighting. His position was below deck manning the boilers in the fire room as water tender second class. But he was well aware of what was going on around him.

"I think it was about 4:30 their time when the big guns started firing on their beach and the carriers started going in," said Elder. "I was aboard a ship firing on the beach. We were close enough to take binoculars and see the beach. A lot of the men that left the landing craft either drowned because the water was too deep or were killed in the water. A couple of the ships like ours got hit but we didn't. We got fired at a lot. Eventually, we overcame the Germans and took the beach. I've never been one to take anything away from the Army. They are the ones that went in and experienced so much loss. They did the hard part. The Army had to start and finish the war."

Page 2 of 3 - When their work was done, the USS Augusta set out for a new assignment. They went to Palermo, Sicily and to Naples and took part in an invasion into South France. Elder recalls the heavy gunfire and remembers thinking he was never going to get back to McLeansboro.

Eventually, the USS Augusta did head back to the United States, but they encountered a new threat. They moved into a storm so bad it cracked the bow on the ship. It took them three days to turn around and had to dry dock in England for several months before they could attempt the trip across the ocean for the United States.

"The USS Augusta was such a big ship," recalled Elder. "It had a barber shop, two mess halls, a tailor shop and a lot of things other ships didn't have. I saw a lot of movies. We had "Destry" for a long time and I saw that movie six times. It was the only movie aboard. Eventually, we exchanged movies with other ships by pulling lines over, like we did when we pulled the lines over to refuel."

Elder also recalls not being allowed to wear their white sailor caps because they showed up too much. Although he did experience sadness aboard the cruiser, he also admits some happy times as well, which included a journey with President Harry Truman on a trip from the states to England.

"Truman was having a meal with us when they dropped the Atom bomb," said Elder. "He boarded our ship at Norfolk. Our ship had a presidential suite. He was on board about a week and we let him off at Antwerp, Belgium."

Elder just happened to be in the right place at the right time to interact with President Truman. While topside fantail, Truman and Secretary of State Jimmy Byrnes were talking with Elder walked up. President Truman asked Elder where he was from and shook his hand before continuing a conversation with Byrnes and the commander of the USS Augusta.

Elder eventually did make it back to McLeansboro where he met and married his wife Audrey. The couple will be married 45 years next summer. Audrey worked at a bank for 30 years and Elder worked for the railroad. Another interesting fact about their union is their choice in housing. The Elders purchased a home on Paint Creek Lane as newlyweds. They still live in the same house 46 years later.

Elder retired from the railroad in 1987. He has always been active in Democratic politics in the area and has been a member of Kiwanis since his retirement. Upon his release from the Navy, he received two battle stars for his service during World War II and locally, he has been honored for his service as well. Most recently, he was one of three parade marshals for the 2012 Corn Day parade.

Page 3 of 3 - Elder is one of the many Americans whose lives were forever changed with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It truly has been a day that has lived in infamy.